Gripper mechanism for printing presses



y 1937- H. M. BARBER 2,080,249

GRIPPER MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed April 22, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR fl/p BY f

ATTORNEYS May 11, 1937. H. M. BARBER GRIPPER MECHANISM FOR PRINTINGPRESS'EB Filed April 22, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO ATTORNEYS UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE GRIPPE-R MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES I Howard M.Barber, Pawcatuck, Conn, assignor to C. B. Cottrell & Sons Company,Westerly, 11.1., a corporation of Delaware Application April '22, 1936,Serial No. 75,677

.14 Claims. (Cl. 101-409) In gripper mechanism utilizing a'springpressed shaft 5, which shaft is located in the usual gripper tumbler camon the end of the gripper shaft recess 6 extending along the peripheryof the for holding the grippers in their open or closed carrier, thelongitudinal walls of which recess position there is a tendency of thegripper shaft are denoted by 1 and 8. These gripper fingers 5 to twist,thus causing an uneven pressure of the 4 are swung by the rocking oftheir shaft, from gripper fingers upon the sheet when the grippers anopen position within the recess 6 to a closed are closed. This isparticularly true where the position on the pads 9 carried by thelongitudigr-ipper shaft is of considerable length. This nally disposedbar I0. arrangement also tends to cause a hammering One end of the rockshaft 5 projects beyond 10 action of the grippers and the consequentnoise the corresponding end of the rotary carrier l 10 and wear, due toall of the pressure being applied and it is there provided with a springpressed to thegrippers at one end of the shaft whether tumbler cam HWhose r ves I2 and 13 are the'g-rippers be open or closed. located inposition to be engaged by the cam The object of my invention is toeliminate this operating pins l4 and I5 carried by one of the 15.distortionof the gripper shaft, the uneven presside frames 3 for rockingthe tumbler cam and 15 sure of the grippers "and the noisy action ofthereby the gripper shaft, to open and close the the grippers, byproviding auxiliary spring means grippers. The tumbler cam springs 16and I1 acting upon the gripper shaft at one or more are arranged asusual to hold the grippers in points between the ends of the shaft tointheir open or closed position. suitable stops [8 crease the pressureof the grippers upon their and I9 on the end of the rotary carrier are20 20 sheets whenthe grippers are closed, said grippers located inposition to engage the tumbler cam being freed from said auxiliaryspring pressure H to limit the rocking movement of the rock when theyare open. By this arrangement the shaft 5. tumbler Spring not be madepowerfulin One or more, in the present instance two, its action that thegrippers will slap and become auxiliary spring devices are shown forcausing 2 noisy, as is al Where vthe ntire pressure is the grippers toexert the required added presi e e d Don the pp y the Said tumbler sureon the sheet when the grippers are closed,

spring. each of which auxiliary pressure devices is con- A Practicalembodiment of invention i strueted,arranged and operated as follows: epnt d in the c p y drawings, in The rock shaft 5 has fast thereon within30 which the gripper recess 6 an arm 20 which carries 1 represents aplalliview of a rotary sheet a stud or roller 2| located in position tobe carrier-embodyin my improved gr pp mechaswung into and out of contactwith a cam surnisrn'; face 22 of a spring pressed lever 23 as thegrip- 2represents a cross Section of the Same, pers are closed and opened. Asthe grippers are 3; t ke in 1 of the line of closing, the stud or roller21 will depress the looking in the direction of the arrows the movlever23 against the tension of t spring 24, able parts being Shown in fulllines in the p051 thus causing the grippers to exert additional tiOIISthey 1 3 when the grippers'are closed pressure on the sheet when thegrippers are andin dotted lines in the positions they occupy closed. Itwill be understood that the cam sur- 40 when the grippers are open; face22 of the lever 23 is so shaped that no pres- Fig. 3 represents a detailcross section, taken Sure whatever is exerted on the grippers by the inthe plane of the line III-III of Fig.1, look- Spring 2 when the grippersare open. A Stop mg in the direction of the altyqws the movable bar 25serves todimit the outward movement parts being shown in the posltlonshey occupy of the cam lever when the grippers are closed; and It willalso be understood that while two of ction with the Fig 4 fia 02 1221 3:they occupy when these auxiliary grlpper pressure devices are shownmovable parts m p herein, one or more of said devices may be used thegrippers are Open' to suit different requirements.

arrier I is herein repre- 5O ser fit efi 21 iin gi esiion cylinder of arotar The arrangement hereinabove described perto be operated with lessnoise ress, the rotary carrier shaft 2 being m1ts the grippers uit l o lnounted in the side frames 3 of the and wear and yet have suflicientpressure when ISJIGSS y closed on the sheet to hold it firmly and evenlyon The gripper fingers 4 are fixed on their rock the carrier. When thegrippers are open they will be entirely freed from this auxiliarypressure.

It is evident that various changes may be resorted to in theconstruction, form and arrangement of the several parts withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do notintend to be limited to the particular embodiment herein shown anddescribed, but

VJhat I claim is:

1. A rotary sheet carrier, grippers carried thereby, a tumbler, a springacting on the tumbler for holding the grippers open or closed, and meansfor separately exerting additional pressure on the grippers when closed.

2. A rotary sheet carrier, grippers carried thereby, a spring pressedtumbler for holding the grippers open or closed, and means forseparately exerting additional pressure on the grippers when closed,said grippers when open being freed from said additional pressure.

. 3. A rotary sheet carrier, grippers carried thereby, a tumbler, aspring acting on the tumbler at one end of the carrier for holding thegrippers open or closed, and means located between the ends of thecarrier for separately exerting additional pressure on the grippers whenclosed.

4. A rotary sheet carrier, grippers carried thereby, a spring pressedtumbler at one end of the carrier for holding the grippers open orclosed, and means located between the ends of the carrier for separatelyexerting additional pressure on the grippers when closed, said gripperswhen open being freed from said additional pressure.

5. A rotary sheet carrier, grippers carried there- :by, a tumbler, aspring acting on the tumbler at one end of the carrier for holding thegrippers open or closed, and one or more devices located between theends of the carrier for separately exerting additional pressure on thegrippers when closed.

6. A rotary sheet carrier, grippers carried thereby, a spring pressedtumbler at one end of the carrier for holding the grippers ,open orclosed, and one or more devices located between the ends of the carrierfor separately exerting additional pressure on the grippers when closed,said grippers when open being freed from said additional pressure.

7. A rotary sheet carrier, 2. rock shaft mounted therein, gripperscarried by the rock shaft, a tumbler on one end of the said shaft, aspring acting on the tumbler for holding the grippers open or closed,and means acting on said gripper shaft between its ends for separatelyexerting additional pressure on the grippers when closed.

8. A rotary sheet carrier, a rock shaft mounted therein, gripperscarried by the rock shaft, a spring pressed tumbler acting on one end ofthe said shaft for holding the grippers open or closed,

on the tumbler for holding the grippers open or closed, and one or moredevices acting on the gripper shaft between its ends for separatelyexerting additional pressure on the grippers when closed.

10. A rotary sheet carrier, a rock shaft mounted therein, gripperscarried by the rock shaft, a spring pressed tumbler acting on one end ofsaid shaft for holding the grippers open or closed, and one or moredevices acting on the gripper shaft between its ends for separatelyexerting additional pressure on the grippers when closed, said gripperswhen open being freed from said additional pressure.

11. A rotary sheet carrier, a rock shaft mounted therein, gripperscarried by the rock shaft, a

spring pressed tumbler acting on one end of the shaft to hold thegrippers open or closed, a device acting on the gripper shaft betweenits ends for separately exerting additional pressure on the gripperswhen closed, said device comprising a spring pressed lever having a camsurface, and an arm on the gripper shaft arranged to be swung intocontact with said cam surface as the grippers are closed and out ofcontact with said cam surface when the grippers are open.

12. A rotary sheet carrier, a rock shaft mounted therein, gripperscarried by the rock shaft, a spring pressed tumbler acting on one end ofthe shaft to hold the grippers open or closed, a device acting on thegripper shaft between its ends for separately exerting additionalpressure on the grippers when closed, said grippers being freed of theadditional pressure when open, said device comprising a spring pressedlever having a cam surface, and an arm on the gripper shaft arranged,spring pressed tumbler acting on one end of the shaft to hold thegrippers open or closed, a plurality of devices acting on the grippershaft between its ends for separately exerting additional pressure onthe grippers when closed, each of said devices comprising a springpressed lever having a cam surface, and an arm on the gripper shaftarranged to be swung into contact with said cam surface as the grippersare closed and out of contact with said cam surface when the grippersare open.

14. A rotary sheet carrier, a rock shaft mounted therein,gripperscarried by the rock shaft,aspring pressed tumbler acting on one end ofthe shaft to hold the grippers open or closed, a plurality of devicesacting on the gripper shaft between its ends for separately exertingadditional pressure on the grippers when closed, said grippers beingfreed of the additional pressure when open, each of said devicescomprising a spring pressed lever having a cam surface, and an arm onthe gripper shaft arranged to be swung into contact with said camsurface as the grippers are closed and out of contact with said camsurface when the grippers are open.

HOWARD M. BARBER.

